Cowboys linebacker beats public intoxication rap

The Dallas Morning News’ man at the NFL owners’ meeting, Todd Archer, is reporting via the newspaper’s Web site that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said outside LB Anthony Spencer has been cleared by the legal system in Indianapolis of charges stemming from an incident at a nightclub in January.

Archer says Jones wasn’t sure if Spencer would be penalized by the league for violating its personal conduct policy. It’s also uncertain whether the team will discipline Spencer, who was arrested for public intoxication and disorderly conduct after refusing to leave the Have A Nice Day Cafe around 3 a.m.

Coach Wade Phillips raved about Spencer last year during camp in Oxnard, Calif., but injuries limited his impact during the season. There were also reports he blew off a rehab assignment during camp.

With Greg Ellis on the wrong side of 30, the Cowboys need Spencer, the 26th overall pick of the 2007 NFL Draft, to prove his worth this season. But questions have been raised about his character after the nightclub dust-up and the reports of his indifference to rehab.